Tradition states that after the Ascension of Jesus, Mary Mother-of-God was cared for by the Apostle John and lived in Jerusalem a further 15 years. When she passed away all the apostles except Bartholomew, who was away at the time, conducted her funeral at a cave-like tomb in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Bartholomew returned he wished to see Mary one last time and convinced the Apostles to open the tomb.
Upon opening the tomb, Mary’s body could not be found and angels’ voices were heard for three days and nights. They interpreted this as a sign that our Lord had assumed (taken up) His Mother into heaven as He had promised her. They found the empty tomb a confirmation of that promise for she had not been dead but had fallen asleep.
The Armenian Church celebrates this feast on the Sunday nearest August 15. It is one of the five major feast days in the Armenian Church calendar.
